Inspired #92 - George Moir
George Moir have let us into his own world with his debut EP ‘Spare Room’ - mixing elements of Neo soul with jazzy wonky pop. He took a moment to talk about the inspirations behind the EP.
Who are your top 3 musical inspirations?
The Andrews Sisters have got to be up there, my mum used to have them on all the time when I was little, and me and my siblings used to absolutely love the 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' haha! The vocal harmonies are just insane though, I love the tone you can get from just layering up voices and it’s definitely a big thing that goes into almost anything I write.
Nina Simone as well, similarly someone that my mum played all the time. Her music was one of the big ones that got me interested in playing piano very early on in my life. The keys just sounded so cool. Some of her songs are just burned into my brain, as I’m sure they are for many others, and I couldn’t think of a better artist to have on loop in your head!
Lastly James Blake, I heard 'Limit To Your Love' on my tinny little alarm clock radio in my bedroom – and the speaker just couldn’t handle it – but I was 13 and I absolutely loved it. It was the first time I felt like I could maybe record or write music for myself, he took the piano and turned it into this crazy new instrument, and layered it in with sounds I’d never heard before. It absolutely changed my world, and so the next logical step was to try and make Skrillex dubstep on my laptop like every kid in 2010.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
The first film that comes to mind is a short film by David Firth called Cream – one of the weirdest shorts you’ll ever see. He was the guy behind Salad Fingers, he’s a super talented creative, and his animation and art direction on Cream was a huge influence on how I approached making the music videos and overall art style of the George Moir world. I don’t think his work is the only stuff film wise to inspire me though – I grew up on Wallace and Gromit, James and the Giant Peach, all the old Postman Pat, Noddy, Pingu stuff too – I’ve always really been into animation in one form or another!
What city do you find the most inspiring?
It’s got to be Plymouth! I moved here just as I turned 19, and it’s been a huge visual pull for me with all the images I’ve made for my EP. I grew up in the country, and this is the first city I’ve called home, so it’s a really significant and special place for me personally. Being by the sea as well is just great, Plymouth Hoe is beautiful with the lighthouse looking out onto Drakes Island, and the inevitable Navy ships out on the water. It’s got its rough bits too, but it’s really a lovely place, and the source of a lot of inspiration both musically and visually for me. I’ve had some very precious chapters of my life take place here.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
I’ve always been around really inspiring people growing up, my parents in particular are a huge inspiration to me. Their approach to life is very much to shape their world around them rather than just going with the flow, or chasing normality – the way they raised children was really counter-cultural, going for a home-schooled, out-in-the-country lifestyle. I think that shows a lot of courage and determination, to be able to go against what the world says your life should look like, and instead go with what you think is right for you. It’s definitely an attitude I strive to follow in my own life. I don’t think that I’d ever have chased the freelance animator dream straight out of school if it hadn’t been for the model of work my Dad showed me, and that attitude has opened so many doors for me already in the music industry – it’s really exciting! So definitely my parents, incredible people, fantastically inspiring.
What were your inspirations when writing the EP?
I’ve always written music as a way to help myself to understand a situation, or myself, a little better. The 'Spare Room' EP definitely started out like that anyway, putting my experiences of life into musical narratives for my own pleasure. As it progressed, though, it’s gone from being a series of songs taking their inspiration from events in my own world, into a perpetual motion machine with its own overarching storyline, and its own universe that I could delve into. It really kicked off the whole idea of creating another visual identity for the whole thing, something removed from reality that you could step into. I suppose to sum it up though, I was inspired by the different perspectives you can have on your life, and how continually exploring a situation, or yourself, through those perspectives can drastically change your outlook – like stepping into a different world.
How would you like to inspire other people?
I’d love it if I do end up inspiring someone! I guess, hopefully, I’d love to inspire people to be creative in whatever way they feel able. I think exploring creativity is a great way to learn about yourself, putting your ideas out into the world in a tangible way, it’s definitely helped me to grow and look at myself differently. I think that kind of understanding is invaluable in a wider toolkit, it helps you to adjust and tackle unhealthy behaviours, and continue to grow into a better person. It doesn’t matter quite so much about technical limitations these days, most people have all they need to get creative already – hopefully it’s visible in my project, that you can do a lot with a little, enough to inspire someone to do the same!